


You're hot and you're cold

by bi_ceratops



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Asami is the sole owner of the braincell, Based on a Katy Perry Song, Birthday Party, Drunk Sex, Drunkenness, Implied Sexual Content, M/M, Mako has his gay awakening to secret tunnel, Party, Pining, Secret tunnel, Singing, Volleyball, Wu is avatar Katy Perry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-17
Updated: 2020-11-15
Packaged: 2021-03-07 23:53:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 16,342
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26516272
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bi_ceratops/pseuds/bi_ceratops
Summary: It was no surprise that Opal's birthday was the social event of the year. Living with a mother like Suyin Beifong, you didn't get to have a small, intimate get together. No, you invite the entire air nation and the population of Zaofu and pray that Bumi and Varrick haven't concocted an alcoholic drink so potent that it would absolutely ruin you.Mako had never been a large fan of parties, much less his brother's girlfriend's extreme birthday party. But that being said, it couldn't be too bad, right? No, not with a reunion with an old friend, a drunk mistake, and a load of shame and sexuality questioning.---Mako and Wu mistakenly hook up. Whackey hijinks ensue
Relationships: Bolin/Opal (Avatar), Korra/Asami Sato, Mako/Prince Wu (Avatar)
Comments: 38
Kudos: 214





	1. We took too many shots. Think we kissed (but I forgot).

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Opal's birthday party is wild. Both Mako and Wu get sloshed and make some surprising choices.

It was no surprise that Opal's birthday was the social event of the year. Living with a mother like Suyin Beifong, you didn't get to have a small, intimate get together. No, you invite the entire air nation and the population of Zhao Fu and pray that Bumi and Varrick haven't concocted an alcoholic drink so potent that it would absolutely ruin you. Those two got on frighteningly well, much to the sadness of both Zhu Li and Tenzin. Kya was also a surprisingly wild party girl, frequently winking and making strange looks across the room at Lin Beifong, who blushed a bright fire nation red literally every time it would happen, despite them being involved for several years at this point. 

Mako had never really liked parties. It had stemmed from his early life, when Shady Shin would send him and his brother in to pickpocket the rich guests. Then there were all the formal events he got invited to as a pro bender, having to make polite small talk with old rich people who had never pro bent once in their life just so he could get enough sponsors for him and Bolin to eat that week. When Mako had become a police officer things had gotten even worse, his first few calls to places had been stopping various parties that had gotten out of hand, usually ending with someone getting hurt in a bending accident. Wu had been the one to make him really despise parties. So many people in a room together, it was hard to keep an eye on the prince in a packed space where everyone wanted to either worship him for being born lucky, or berate him for getting in Kuvira's way. It would be even more of a nightmare as Wu had little to no self preservation, often stumbling into situations he really didn't need to get into. 

Still, there was no way he could weasel out of Opal's birthday. Bolin and her's relationship was as good as it humanly could be, and so Mako coming along was a given so he could support (and watch out for) his baby brother. Part of him was also looking forward to seeing everyone again: he spoke to Korra and Asami from time to time, but her Avatar duties were currently keeping her in earth kingdom as Wu tried to iron out the messy process of abdication. As he had for what seemed like forever Mako saw Bolin every day, but it was nice to spend time with his brother when they weren't chasing criminals. It was also nice to see Kai, the young airbender having shaped out to be a cool and collected young man who reminded Mako of himself. It was also sort of nice to see Wu, he guessed. As far as Mako was concerned the King occupied little to no space in his mind, so it was nice to catch up (even if Mako knew everything he ever did from the gossip his gran sent).

The night had started late with dinner and drinks, being relatively tame for the most part. Bolin was sitting near the head of the table with Opal and the Beifongs, so Mako had ended up sitting between Asami (which was great) and Meelo (not so great). Mako made small talk with Korra and Asami, catching them up to speed with his and Bolin's latest takedown of a crime boss. Occasionally he'd look across the table and glance at Wu, who would catch his eyeline and wave crazily. Mako waved shyly back.

The meal had ended rather quickly, and then the real party began. The main hall had been cleared and replaced with a live band, the lights being dulled to let everyone let loose and dance. Korra and Asami were a machine, Korra's high energy hitting every beat like a sucker punch as she threw her body around, Asami gracefully swaying next to her like the water Korra could've been bending. The lights washed everything into greens and purples, all the dancers melting together like the northern lights, beautiful and swirling. It was also temporary, the music slowing down and the majority of people climbing off the dance floor to go and sit with Mako (who tried to avoid dancing and music as much as humanly possible), who up until that point had been sat at a table by himself solemnly sipping his drink and watching his brother make a fool of himself.

Bolin sauntered over, throwing his arms around Mako with the weight of a bronze statue, causing the policeman to buckle slightly under his weight. "Mako!" He slurred, flopping back and nearly tipping over the metal chair. "I love you... so much! Mako! You're the best big bro ever!" 

"Thanks buddy." Mako smiled, grabbing a jug of water, pouring it into a glass, and sliding it across the table. "Drink this." He sighed. "If you drink any more booze without this you'll be sick."

"That's what Opal said!" Bolin gasped, knocking the glass over. "You two can't make me do... Anything!"

Mako rolled his eyes and muttered "We probably should though." 

Through the corner of his eye Mako spotted him. Spotted Wu. He was chatting to Toph Beifong for some reason, probably discussing badger moles and their affinity for music, and was obnoxiously waving his arms around in a way that seemed to irritate the older women. His obnoxiousness might not have changed a whole lot but Wu had definitely completed a metamorphosis, growing into a more humble, respectable man, noticing that Toph was getting annoyed with him and moving across the floor to what looked like Tenzin. Unlike his original garish costs and shoes Wu had changed out his wardrobe for patterned shirts and nice trousers, full of no less personality but less of an expensive eye sore. He walked more slowly with his shoulders tipped back, charismatically smiling at groups of people who actually grinned back at him, a few stopping to say a few words to him. 

Without thinking Mako slid out of his chair, striding across the dancefloor to where Wu had got distracted talking to Jinora and Kai. Mako cleared his throat, Wu turning to see Mako and flinging his arms around him so excitedly the usually stable man stumbled and flustered under the weight. "Mako! It's so good to see you!" 

"You too man." Mako replied, clasping his ex employer on the back with a smile. Wu's embrace was warm and strangely comforting, the two pausing in the hug a little longer than socially acceptable. Pulling back, Mako took a closer look at how the prince turned music star had changed in the few years since Mako had seen him. His eyes may not have been the same lime green that twinkled like the riches that Wu had come from but they were no less enrapturing, the darker, more jaded green like the land on a treasure map, ready to bring you immense joy or lead you to certain death. The years had obviously given Wu a slightly more serious edge. Even if he wasn't the earth king any more the few provinces which had chosen to stay under his rule had had their fair share of problems, their complex solutions sanding down some of the less agreeable aspects of the once intolerable man, but had not snapped the thick cord of sunshine that ran through Wu's soul. 

“How have you been?” Wu wondered. Mako felt himself squandering. Life had been almost boring - take down some gangs, hear Bolin speak to Opal, hear Bolin speak about Opal, avoid Beifong’s wrath whenever anything went wrong. It didn’t feel right to burden Wu with his life, so just went for “It’s been fine, you know. How are y-”

“BOYS!” Korra was suddenly between the two, pressing a sizable glass into Mako's hand. She looked just about as sloshed as Bolin, teetering on her heels. "You have to try this. Varrick and Bumi made it. It's INCREDIBLE!" She shouted, pulling Wu away from Mako and to the table where Bolin was sitting, twiddling a lock of a grumpy Asami's hair round his finger. The older brother groaned, taking a large swig of the pungent liquid that Korra had handed him and followed the group.

\---

"So then the badgermole goes AAH!" Wu cheered, flapping his arms around like a windmill. Mako roared out a loud laugh, slamming his third glass of the alcohol concoction down on the table, the remnants of it spilling over the edge. Asami raised her eyebrows at Mako, watching as he tried to calm his breathing, stone faced.

"Because you see Asami, he- ahaha- and then the badgermole goes- it - it-" Mako dissolved into laughter again shaking his head in defeat. Wu was blushing, looking at his typically plain aquaintance giggle like he was a teenager with a crush. Korra leaned over to Asami's ear, loudly and not at all successfully whispering "I don't get it."

Wu looked down at his shoes. "I mean even I didn't think it was that funny. But good for you Mako! It's nice to see you smile." He lit up with his own smile but continued to avoid everyone at the table's gaze, causing Asami to shoot her girlfriend a knowing look. Mako didn't really know what that look was supposed to mean, but he was having too much fun and too much alcohol to really question it. The two women sat at the table didn't seem to be sharing the sentiment, with both of them glancing at the door intermittently. They were the last four sat in the main room of the party, Opal dragged Bolin to bed after he'd nearly vomited up the contents of his stomach on Tenzin's shoes. The cleaners were sheepishly stood in the corner of the room, waiting for the young people to leave.

Asami stood up. "Korra and I are going to… head to bed." Korra waggled her eyebrows and pulled that classic lopsided smile. 

Mako turned to Wu, who looked slightly dejected. "Hey look, if you want we can continue the party up in my room? I've still got half a glass of Bumi juice left and it seems a shame to waste it." 

Wu nodded, bidding Korra and Asami goodnight and following Mako up to his room, dancing over the stairs and absentmindedly singing along to some songs as he went, stopping only to steady himself from falling over. Apparently when Wu had gone on a quest to work on his singing when he wasn't overseeing the Earth Kingdom, and he'd definitely improved. His voice didn't possess that frustrating wobble that Mako had grown so accustomed to hearing, and it had gained a smoother, rich tone like a river of honey. Even in his overexcited state Wu sounded good, a far cry from the concerts Mako used to inadvertently get stood outside Wu's shower. Not in a creepy way. 

"Wow." Mako unlocked the door to his guest room. "You've really improved." 

"Thanks!" Wu beamed. "My trip was amaaazing!" He flipped onto the bed, grabbing the alcohol from Mako's grip and taking a large swig, wincing a little as it trickled down his throat. "I learnt singing from soo many cool people. Like these nomads who apparently met Avatar Aang outside Omashu! Now those are some people who really know how to treat a badgermole." 

Mako chuckled, undoing the top button of his shirt and sitting on the corner of the bed next to Wu, who had sat up by this point and was frantically telling his story, hands waving everywhere. It all seemed to blur to Mako, who watched the royal chat, noticing how he would flick his hair around when he talked - a habit that had irritated Mako the first time they had met, but he now found kind of sweet. Wu paused, noticing Mako's glassy eyes as he zoned out. "You alright?"

"Yeah." Mako answered shortly. "Sing me a song? One you learnt from those nomads."

Wu's eyes widened. "Really?! Oh wow, okay. Okay. Uhh--" 

He began to make little stringy noises with his mouth, pretending to play a guitar in a little jaunty tune. Mako laughed at the little mime.

"Two lovers, forbidden from one another 

A war divides their people

And a mountain divides them apart 

Built a path to be together

And die!"

On "die" Wu paused, pulling a mocked shocked face. Mako, who had only been half listening to the lyrics and half staring into Wu's eyes (not in a weird way, just looking at how they lit up when he sang), jumped, pulling a face at the surprisingly dark lyrics. Wu gave Mako a self satisfied smirk, before continuing.

"Secret tunnel!

Secret tunnel!

Through the mountain! 

Secret, secret, secret, secret -"

And then Mako was kissing Wu, and Wu was kissing Mako back, slipping the Policeman's hand into his own and running his fingers over the scars left by the lightning which ran all the way up his arm to his heart. Mako pulled Wu in closer, running his hands through Wu's soft and bouncy hair, letting Wu use his other hand to grip Mako's face. Wu shyly pulled back, however was still grinning. Mako put a hand on his chest and pushed him down onto the bed, Wu scattering sheets and pillows as he hit the mattress hard. ".... Wu down?" Mako joked and the prince laughed, grabbing Mako by the collar and pulling him in for another kiss. 

Mako melted into it instantly, rubbing his hands over Wu's silk shirt and finding the buttons, placing some open mouthed kisses to Wu's neck, making him whimper slightly. Wu batted away Mako and his fumbling hands and just peeled his shirt off, tossing it towards the door and smirking, his eyes widening as Mako did the same, his shirt this time landing on the bottle of Bumi and Varrick's strange alcohol concoction and knocking it onto the floor.

Mako didn't care. He held Wu close, feeling the warmth through his skin, and kissed him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mako: Wu doesn't occupy much space in my mind.  
> Also Mako: His eyes may not have been the same lime green that twinkled like the riches that Wu had come from but they were no less enrapturing, the darker, more jaded green like the land on a treasure map, ready to bring you immense joy or lead you to certain death.


	2. It felt so wrong It felt so right don't mean I'm in love tonight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mako wakes up and acts exactly we expect him to: without thinking and with 0 emotional intelligence. As per usual, Asami possesses the brain cell.

It was dark and it was cold, and Mako had a headache. He was lying on his guest bed, buck naked, the duvet discarded somewhere, feeling the soft sheets beneath him. He stared blankly at the ceiling, trying to comprehend just what had happened and try to clear the painful fog that was floating around in his head like toxic gas. The night before had been hazy - he remembered it clearly right up until Kora had handed him that drink, and then it dissolved into a haze. Bolin vomiting, Asami shaking her head, Mako laughing, Korra being loud, Wu talking, Wu singing, Wu-

Oh.

Mako shot up, sweating. He frantically looked out over the bed, and felt his stomach drop. Wu was curled up on the corner of the bed, a pillow and the entire double duvet sandwiched between his arms and legs, his face in a peaceful smile, over-friendly even in his sleep. He heard Mako moving and stirred, peeling one eye open and then the other. “Hey beautiful,” Wu grinned, before noticing Mako’s startled pose and pushed himself up onto his elbows. “Mako… you alright?”

“Uh… no.” He murmured, grabbing the pillow from behind him and using it to cover himself. “This… This was a mistake.”

“I’m sorry?” Wu asked, shaking his hair out of his face. It had fallen out of its upturned curl and was now bouncing around his face in some tangled brown waves. He was blinking dust out of his eyes, still not quite comprehending what was going on. His voice was slightly deeper than usual and wavered slightly, lacking that happy edge that Mako had come to know. The deepness was nice and slightly less irritating, and in any other situation Mako might appreciate Wu's honeyed morning voice. Now the Prince just looked like a confused, kicked puppy.

At any other point Mako might feel sorry for Wu, but at this point he was too consumed with his headache and the unsettling feeling that was beginning to seep through his veins. “I’m not into men, Wu. This was a mistake. We’re a mistake.”

Wu’s eyes began to tremble in their sockets. “Mako, I-”

“I think you should leave.” Mako bit back, grabbing Wu’s nice green shirt from where it was strewn on the nightstand next to him and chucking it at the Prince. Mako averted his eyes from Wu as he climbed out the bed and began to put on his clothes, the silence sticky and cringe inducing. Wu was finished quickly and stood and opened the door, his breathing shallow and his eyes darting everywhere around the room except for Mako, who had hidden himself under the duvet. Wu looked worse for wear if Mako was completely honest, his face washed out by the dim lighting. He seemed to be teetering on the edge of something, his eyebrows furrowed, face red and eyes glossy, but he tightened his jaw and left, shutting the door behind him. Mako, who’s headache had been provoked by the hallway lights and was beginning to really annoy him, turned over and buried his head into the pillow, groaning loudly into the fabric before falling asleep.

\---

Falling back to sleep hadn't brought Mako much peace.

He’d sparingly got proper rest, the majority of the time spent rolling over and groaning into his pillow. He’d given up trying to sleep after a while and just stared up at the ceiling, trying to find a fault in the plaster, and avoid thinking about both Wu and his hangover. Neither worked, and thinking about Wu made Mako’s headache worse. He’d given up after what felt like a few hours of tossing and turning, swinging his legs out of bed and pulling on some clothes before trudging to breakfast, shielding his eyes from the bright lights. The room was mostly empty, still slightly trashed from holding the meal and then the party the night before. Mako scraped something off of every tray onto his plate, grabbed a cup of coffee, and parked himself on a table with Asami and Lin Beifong. 

Both women looked tidy, as usual, faces clean and hair brushed. Even if they both looked slightly dishevelled, Beifong staring glumly into her coffee and Asami's hairs fleeing from their low ponytail, they didn’t look bad. Mako, on the other hand, probably didn’t look so good, judging by Asami and Beifong’s surprised looks once they noticed him coming. Their eyes widened, Asami choking on the mouthful of toast that she had just put in her mouth. “Mako, you look… Tired?”

“Ha.” Lin chuckled quietly. “That’s one way to put it.”

Ignoring the snark Mako sat down, chugging his coffee and not making eye contact with either of the two. Mako felt a sharp jab to his shin and jerked his head up, only to see Asami, eyebrows raised. “Seriously Mako, what happened to you? You look sick.” 

“I’m fine, just didn’t get much sleep last night.” He sighed, hoping the heating up of his face didn’t give too much away. Apparently it did.

“I’ll say.” Lin grumbled. Asami whipped her head around, confused. Beifong continued flatly. “I know that look. Mako got laid, and is obviously upset about it. Not as upset as whoever he was sleeping with, though. I got woken up at half three this morning as someone came out of Mako’s room, crying.”

“Crying?” Asami gasped.

“Sobbing.” The metal bender said dryly. She necked the rest of her coffee and stood sharply, shaking her head. “And before you make me any more unwillingly involved in my employee's sex life, I’m leaving.”

Lin pushed the chair in behind her and stalked off, shaking her head and muttering to herself. Asami smiled smugly. Mako shifted awkwardly in his seat, shovelling his breakfast into his mouth. Asami continued smiling, grabbing Mako’s arm to stop him from eating another mouthful and staring him dead in the eye. “So… Who was it?” Asami’s tone was teasing and humorous, the direct opposite to the bleakness that Mako had been feeling all morning.

“It doesn’t matter-”

“So it’s Wu then?” Asami smirked. 

“What?! No. Wu? Don’t be -” Mako dipped his head, crestfallen. “Yeah, it was him.”

“I had my suspicions. I mean he liked you for years, obviously. I wasn’t sure you were into him, until last night that is-”

“I don’t like him!” Mako erupted. Asami jerked backwards in her chair, lifting her hands up. The firebender could feel the guilt worming its way through him and tried to calm down. In his rage he’d burnt a hole in the fancy tablecloth and it was beginning to smoke. Mako covered the wisps of smoke with his hand. “I don’t like him. I don’t like men - not like that anyway. It was just a drunk mistake that he was obviously more into than me."

"Is that why he was crying?" 

"I mean I guess that I upset him. I kicked him out pretty quickly." 

"Oh. He mustn't have taken that easy." Asami said flatly. "So what are you going to do about it? Apologise and ask him out?"

"What?!" Mako fumed again. "I just said I don't like guys!”

“Sorry, Sorry.” Asami replied. “What are you actually going to do, though?”

“I don’t know, Asami… All I know is that I'm probably not into Wu. I don’t want to hurt his feelings more than I already have, though. Up until we slept together I actually had quite a good time with him.” That was a lie. Mako had sort of enjoyed sleeping with him. Not sort of. He did. But that was just because he was drunk, right? He was straight - that was Mako in a sentence. Mako the ladykiller   
(the ladykiller with the two ex-girlfriends who ended up together, but Mako didn’t need to focus on that right now). 

Asami watched Mako’s brain tick along as his face tried to keep his cool. To be honest this was the most rattled she’d seen him in a while, and on the one hand she felt bad that her friend was going through a bit of a crisis, but on the other hand she’d seen him and Wu making faces at each other all night. Faces that Mako used to make at her and Korra. “Look, Mako. I’ve had my fair share of embarrassing hookups - I mean I thought I was straight! If you really don’t want anything to happen with Wu then you need to take him aside soon, clear things up, and tell him that it’s never going to happen again.”

Mako nodded fervently. Asami picked up her plate and stood up. “If you’re really struggling, the phrase I usually use (and don’t think too much about this) is ‘this isn’t personal, I just can’t see us progressing past this point in our relationship romantically. I think it is better if we’re both friends.”

“Thanks Asami.” Mako said, smiling for the first time that morning. His face faltered. “Wait - didn’t you use that line on me?!”

“I said don’t think too much about it!” Asami replied, slinking away. 

\---

The ball hurt. It hit Mako square in the jaw, knocking him onto the tough court floor. He pushed himself up on his elbow, glaring angrily at Korra, who was smirking. Mako had stupidly agreed to play volleyball with the rest of Team Avatar, a fun bonding experience to get them all back into the swing of things. Asami had taken the experience to yet again prove that she was better than everyone, and Korra was extremely enthusiastic as always. The pair had completely wiped Mako out, the poor firebender seeming to both miss and get hit by the ball most frequently.

Bolin rushed over to Mako and pulled him up, hurriedly glancing over to where there was a group of spectators gathering. “Dude. You’re embarrassing me in front of Opal.” He hissed, slapping Mako on the back a little too hard for Mako’s fragile state. If Korra hit him again Mako thought he might just crumble into dust.

“Sorry Bo.” Mako murmured. 

“Are you okay?” Bolin whispered, looking at Mako with furrowed brows. “We don’t have to play if you don’t want to-” 

“No, we’re good.” Mako replied, putting on his best smile. Opal stood on the sidelines, looking at Bolin with sickeningly large heart eyes, her hands clasped together. Mako gave her a thumbs up and turned to Korra, who was grinning from the other side of the net and bouncing on her toes impatiently. “You okay!?” She shouted a little too loudly. 

Mako nodded, scooping up the tough leather sphere and sending it flying through the air, over the net. Korra leapt up and smashed it over to Bolin, who skidded on the ground, creating a large dust cloud. He just about hit it, the ball skimming the top of the net as it sailed over to Asami. Mako watched the ball sail over, watched Asami go to hit it, and then froze. Wu had just rounded the corner, looking infuriatingly okay. He was talking to Ikki, who was bouncing around like that hyper kid Mako had first met. Wu’s outfit and hair was normal, pristinely ironed and gelled, and his smile was there. Mako could tell it was a little small and strained, but before he could say anything he heard Bolin screech “Mako!”

The pro bender barely saw the ball coming and skidded back, pushing the ball up with his fists and then smacking it over to Asami, who’s eyes widened. The ball had a faint trail of smoke tailing off it and Asami wisely ducked, the ball heading straight into Wu’s nose. A loud slap rang out like lightning and Mako found his legs sprinting over to Wu, who was being helped up by Korra. His nose looked okay, just a little red where the ball had impacted it, and also on the rest of his cheek. "I'm so sorry!" Mako blabbered, getting close up to Wu's face. He paused there for a second, trying to read his expression. Asami's hand pushed him back.

"It's okay." Wu nodded. His eyes were beginning to water, no matter what Wu said, and suddenly Mako was transported back to his room that morning. The guilty feeling began to gurgle in his stomach again. "I shouldn't have been on the court. Stupid Wu!" Wu laughed, the act looking more like he was forcing out a cough than a proper laugh. The group just stood in silence, before Korra (thankfully) spoke up. "Wu, it's good to see you! How was your wild night of partying with Mako?"

"Mako?! Wild partying?!" Bolin exclaimed, throwing his big arms around the two men, pushing them together. Mako's eyes locked with Wu's, studying the green. It was dark and sad, like a wet forest after rain. Mako ripped his gaze away and tried to wriggle out of Bolin's grip. "I don't believe it! Give me all the details!" Bolin almost squealed, finally releasing Wu and Mako (who both slid across the floor away from each other like soldiers pressed against a wall) and clasping his hands together. 

Mako felt the blood drain from his face. His limbs locked up. Asami was trying to pull a throat slitting motion as subtly as she could to Bolin, not that he picked up on it. Mako felt a singular bead of cold sweat drop down the back of his neck. Wu was going to make some dumb joke. Bolin would never let him hear the end of it. Korra would be incessant. He would no longer be Mako the lady-killer. He would be Mako the prince fucker. And he wasn't gay. Especially not for Wu. Wu was just a buddy. And then Mako would look really mean for kicking him out and- 

"It really wasn't that wild." Shit. Was Mako not that good? He didn't want to be boring. Not that he cared what Wu thought. "We just drank for a while, I told Mako about my trip, he told me about policing, I sang him some songs, and then I left."

"Nothing else happened!" Mako burbled. Everyone turned to look at him, either confused and shocked at the outburst or shaking their head in disappointment (Asami). It was only Wu who didn't look at Mako. The prince turned away, swiftly rubbing at his eye whilst he thought no one was watching. 

"Sounds like a riot. " Korra deadpanned. "Now if you were really looking for a wild night, you should've hung out with Asami and I. We -"

"Woah there Korra." Asami interrupted, her face blushed and smiling warmly at her girlfriend, even if her tone had sounded slightly panicked. 

"I best be heading back." Wu said, rubbing at where the ball had hit his face. "I actually came out to get Bolin in for Suyin. Apparently she wants to talk to him about Opal. I'd be scared."

Bolin attempted to stutter something but his voice failed him. He turned on his heel and sprinted in, face looking like he'd just seen a ghost. Korra slung her arm over Asami. "We should probably head inside too - I could do with a shower." Korra winked and pulled Asami towards the large building that everyone was staying in. That left Wu and Mako, who stared at each other blankly. Mako tried to squeeze words out but his throat was scratchy and dry, like it had been filled with thorns. Wu rose up slightly on the balls of his feet as if he were working up the courage to say something but he faltered, crashing back down onto his heels and spinning.

"Bye Mako." He muttered, his voice catching on the last syllable. Then he was gone, thin legs walking at double speed.

Mako kicked the ground. Why had Wu denied the hook up? The Wu from years ago would have made some snide comment in an attempt to impress the others around him, but he hadn't now. Wu was behaving surprisingly maturely. This made Mako even more angry. He should've been relieved that Wu had denied the night before, just like he had tried to, but instead it felt like that was bubbling through his body and making him squirm. It's not like Wu had anything to benefit from denying it - it looked like he'd liked Mako before they'd even hooked up, according to Asami. Which was staggering, because he was just friendly, right? "Why would he deny it?!" Mako fumed to the volleyball. "Why would he lie?"

"So he didn't hurt your feelings." A small voice said matter of factly. It was Ikki, who had apparently materialised behind Mako and was picking at her cuticles. "He likes you, duh. He saw you were uncomfortable and didn't want to scare you off." 

Mako watched as the kid (who was more of a young woman at this point) stared up at him blankly, blinking her eyelashes like she'd just said the most factual phrase in the universe. Ikki shook her head at the surprise that had etched itself onto Mako's features. "Wow, Korra was right. You really can be an idiot."

She skipped off.


	3. I know a place where the grass is really greener

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a well intentioned and surprisingly emotional conversation with Bolin, Mako decides to get his life together, apologise to Wu, and move onto better things. 
> 
> Being the king of emotional intelligence, Mako obviously completes this task exactly as he meant to.

The rest of the day had gone much the same, Mako working at about 30% of his normal capacity. He spent the rest of the day with Bolin, hanging round Zhao Fu and seeing the sites that he hadn't really taken in the first few times they'd visited. Kuvira had taken down the domes to make her giant mech suit, and Suyin had replaced them. They towered above the city, patterned with delicate looking flowers etched into the platinum. In a slightly risky and maybe dumb idea Bolin had used his earthbending to propel the two onto the top of the largest dome, leaving the brothers with their feet dangling off the edge. It was a stunt they used to pull back on Republic City's bridge, and for the first time that day Mako felt actually calm.

He gazed out into the setting sun, the golden light cascading over the rolling, lively green hills of the earth kingdom. The grass was beginning to reflect the light off it, the beams of sun glinting off in faint lines. Mako turned to look at Bolin, his usually broody expression softening at the nostalgic smile on his brother's face. Bolin's expression was soft and happy, his eyes wide washed with a warm orange as he took in the nature around him. "You know what I miss about working with Kuvira? This." Bolin said into the warm air. He didn't speak about Kuvira often, the embarrassment of following a dictator who then tried to take him to a prison camp, nearly exploding and then having to live with Varrick of all people, nearly losing Opal and Pabu, and then his brother nearly dying attempting to stop a giant mech made by Bolin's old boss and save him leaving a generally sour taste in the earthbender's mouth.

"What do you mean?" Mako asked gently.

"I was on that train for years. We went through some really horrible places: poverty, illness, violence. We travelled through so many deserts. Once Varrick made me pick the acne off his back. It wasn't easy, you know? But when I was struggling I would look out of the window and see all the grass and the hills - there are places in the earth kingdom so beautiful that I'll never forget them. And then the next day when I would be forced to sit through dull meetings with Bataar Jr or I was especially missing you and Pabu and Opal, I would think about how bad I was doing, then compare it to the luscious green fields and go 'Hey Bolin. Stop being so down. There's always somewhere where the grass is greener and the water is clearer. Look at how tiny your issues are. You shouldn't be focusing on them when there's so much beauty around.' And then I'd feel a bit better." 

"Wow." Mako replied. "That's quite philosophical bro. You sure you're alright?"

Bolin pulled a face of mock outrage and lightly punched his brother on the arm. Mako chuckled, gingerly rubbing the spot where his fist had made impact. "Are you sure you're alright?" Bolin wondered. "I haven't seen you this upset since Asami dumped you the second time."

"I'm… alright." Mako replied flatly. "I'll tell you why at some point."

"Alright." Bolin shrugged. "I'll let you brood in peace then."

And brood Mako did. He tuned out Bolin's humming and swept his gaze over the countryside. There's always greener grass. Wu had always been referring to the nature of the earth kingdom, and for the most part it had annoyed Mako to no end. He didn't care about the beautiful imported blossom trees which grew in the royal palace, or the lush hills and forests that sprouted the further away you got from Ba Sing Se. Living in the city Mako had never really had time to appreciate what little nature they had there. Even the trees on air temple island had been unfamiliar to Mako and he just avoided them, preferring to hang out in a place where he couldn't burn down the entire forest accidentally. 

But for someone like Wu, who had been trapped in a place and a royal, prissy prince stereotype for all of his life, nature could have been a relief. Seeing the hills roll around, in places the same shade of green that painted Wu's entrancing eyes, Mako was reminded of just how small he was in comparison. Here he was worrying about how he was going to act around some Prince that Mako hadn't seen or spoken to in years. He just needed to apologise to Wu for being mean, clarify that he was never going to sleep with Wu again, and move onto the greener grass. It would be simple. 

\---

Mako had lied. It was not simple.

Mako paced around in front of Wu's bedroom door, muttering angrily to himself and wiping the sweat off of his hands and onto his trousers. The flowers he'd swiped from one of Zhao Fu's many gardens crunched against his legs and he groaned, lifting his hand to knock at the door before chickening out for what was probably the third time that night. Mako turned away from the door, his exasperated breath hissing through his teeth. When he returned to the door it was wide open, Wu stood on the other side with his eyebrows raised. "Mako. Hi."

“Hey buddy!” Mako burbled awkwardly, thrusting out the bouquet of flowers. They were limp and bashed, tied together with a tiny string. Wu took them anyway, his cheeks heating up in a faint pink blush. “I.. I wanted to apologise? If that’s okay of course.” 

“So you bought flowers?” Wu questioned, looking from the bouquet to Mako and then back to the bouquet, if it could really be called that. He smiled sweetly. “Nice!” 

Wu held open the door and Mako stepped inside. Wu’s room was characteristically messy, his fine silk shirts flung over the furniture, draws left hung open and the duvet laying splattered half on and off the bed. It was sort of comforting, knowing that the Prince hadn’t really changed, even if he had got more emotionally intelligent, muscular and humorous, and better looking, and-

“So I’m sorry dude.” Mako said. “I shouldn’t have slept with you. I was drunk, it was a strange mistake, and I definitely shouldn’t have acted like such an idiot this morning. That wasn’t cool of me to take my mistakes out in you.”

“Oh.” Wu murmured. He dropped the flowers onto the bed half heartedly, looking up at Mako with that kicked seal puppy look. The guilt was flooding Mako’s veins again and he shook his head, trying to blink out the flashes of Wu leaving his dark room that morning, his headache returning just to scold the back of his temples. “So you’re apologising for everything last night? I… I’m such an idiot!” Wu shouted, turning away from Mako and rubbing his eyes.

“Sorry?” Mako questioned. Back when he’d been Wu’s bodyguard an emotional meltdown hadn’t been unusual from the Prince, but instead of being irritated Mako was now more unsettled.

“I just thought that you - you spent most of last night laughing at my bad jokes, you asked me to sing for you, which no one does, and then slept with me. Then you kick me out but you come to apologise, with a bunch of flowers, and I just thought - I thought that you were apologising for how you were this morning, and that you might actually like me back.” 

Mako froze in the middle of scratching the back of his head, his skin paling and then suddenly exploding in red. Wu caught his eyeline and then broke it away, but not wiping away the tears that were dropping down his cheeks. So Asami and Ikki were right. Wu liked him, romantically. Surprisingly Mako felt his stomach fill with warm feelings that felt like molten sunlight. He tried to suppress it, seeing Wu’s distress, the happiness he was feeling from a selfish place that was knowing that someone was into him, even if he wasn’t really on Mako’s radar. “I, I, uh-” Mako stuttered.

Wu dramatically fell backwards onto his bed, moaning. “This is so embarrassing! Oh my god.” 

Mako scrambled over to where Wu was. “Hey, it’s okay. I’m sorry. I’m an idiot.”

“You are.” Wu mumbled from where his face was pressed into the mattress. He turned himself around, his lips curved into a little, genuine smile, one that always made Mako weak in the knees, even if it was being done by a man, apparently. It was just a trait, right? Didn’t mean that he was into men. “That’s kind of what made me fall for you. You’re simultaneously the only person who could rival my great Aunt and Beifong for seriousness, but you’re also reduced to a puddle of awkwardness at the slightest misfortune. It’s cute.” Mako returned the smile, trying his best to hide how he was blushing. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t be telling you this. You’re not into me and it’s unfair to be lamenting like a lovestruck poet (although I would make a fantastic poet).”

Both men chuckled, Wu wiping away his tears. The laugh was pure warmth and relief, the awkward tension relieved, if even for a moment. It did have a slight bittersweet twinge to it. On Wu’s part it was an obvious thing to spot. Yeah, he and Mako were ‘good’, but he’d been left unrequited and alone. Mako, on the other hand, had no idea why the moment felt so bittersweet. He’d got what he’d wanted, cleared things up with Wu, apologised, and was able to move on. He was sure that’s what he probably wanted. That being said, he did enjoy spending time with the monarch. They were polar opposites, Mako a brooding, cold man who’d grown up on the streets with his closest companion, and developed the skill of life and heat, despite his parents being dead. Conversely, Wu was a jolly, warm guy with a wild side and a laugh of sunshine, despite having grown up completely alone in a cool marbled prison palace. In a strange way they’d worked well together, bodyguard and prince. And now they were a little bit weathered, a little bit less self serious, a little bit more experienced, and it seemed a shame to let this connection fall into waste.

“Hey Wu… do you want to maybe hang out a bit more whilst we’re both in Zhao Fu? I did have quite a good time with you the other night. And we did have some crazy adventures back when I was your bodyguard.”

“Yeah we did.” He laughed, grinning. His grin faltered slightly. “But just to have boundaries: no sleeping together.” He held out his hand, and Mako tried to ignore how his breath hitched as Wu's soft hand fit perfectly in his palm.

"Uh, yeah." Mako stumbled. "Don't worry, it's never going to happen again."

\---

So it happened again.

Sort of.

"M-Mako-" Wu whimpered between kisses, arching his neck as Mako made his way down there, running a hand up his shirt and smirking. "Mako." 

"Shh." Mako muttered, moving his hand up to Wu's hair and running his fingers through it, unravelling the stiff curls. Wu grabbed his wrist and pulled it away. The prince looked debauched, face red, lips swelled slightly, shirt half unbuttoned and breathing heavily. Mako leaned in for another kiss, his own lips stinging. Wu used his hand to block Mako and push him back a few inches. 

"Mako, you do want this right?" Wu asked, his voice soft and quiet. 

Mako leaned in again.

"No, Mako!" The singer stopped Mako again. "I need to know you want this before I give you my heart again. I don't think you understand how much you mean to me, Mako."

Mako squinted. What did he want? Everything inside him was screaming 'I want Wu!' but that little voice that had been nagging him all day spoke a little louder and a little more annoying. just reprimanded him. 'You're straight Mako. You've screwed up every relationship you've been in, and this is going to be no different.' The firebender froze. "I, uh-" Mako stuttered. 

"I see." Wu muttered, turning his head away from Mako and doing his shirt up. His tone was hard and harsh, like a cold slab of concrete, and if Mako had to guess he would assume that Wu's words were edged in anger, a sharp, cutting, steel sword.

"I should go." Mako stood up, nearly tripping over the bundle of flowers he had brought Wu, in doing so stomping the petals into the carpet. His palms were slippery and his head was suddenly full of air, the room suddenly a little slanted. Mako hadn't been drinking but it felt like he was in the process of sobering up as he rushed to the door, taking one last look at Wu's disappointed expression, pushing down the urge to storm over there and kiss him. Mako turned and fled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Will Mako sort himself out and stop hurting Wu?  
> Maybe.  
> Will he do this successfully?  
> Maybe.  
> Will he second guess every decision?  
> Absolutely.


	4. I guess you're out of your mind till it actually happens

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mako tries some thinking. Bolin drags him to a party, and Wu makes his feelings towards Mako known.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is where the fic gets its name! If you're wondering what version of hot and cold I was using and maybe want to play it whilst you read, its the cool jazz version Katy Perry does (personally I thought it was better on 1.25x speed). There are some slight differences but you get the gist - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aDgFnEsak5E.
> 
> There's also a horrendous cats Broadway version that you can imagine if you want but that's a... different type of fic. It's worth a skip through if, like me, you're mildly concerned and like to put yourself through pain - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1e6MZL4FVV4

Mako was a good cop. He knew this. Acutely aware of the workings of various crime syndicates, quick witted and fast to attack, with a general talent for identifying liars. He had not often failed at anything in his career, nothing of note anyway. That was, until Wu had been kidnapped. Mako had been watching him for about a year and a half at this point, Wu being his usual obnoxious self, and a general liability to both himself and Mako. It was funny, Mako couldn't remember exactly what he was doing on the day that it happened, even if the next 24 hours were the most stressful of his life. He and Wu had been at some small tea joint on the edge of Ba Sing Se, the Prince ordering the most expensive drink there and then slurping it as loudly and disgustingly as possible.

Then the walls gave out. Smoke and dust flooded the room, Mako flung back from his seat at the table by the force of the mud and plaster crumbling and flying across the room. Wu nearly followed him but was tugged back by a strong band of metal snaking around his stomach. He screamed, flying backwards and disappearing through the gaping hole in the wall. Mako took in a deep breath and sprang to his feet. He charged, diving and rolling through the hole in the wall and took off sprinting down the road, his eyes on Wu. The Prince was hauled over some bulky guy’s back, wailing, flailing and kicking out his legs, just as practiced. Mako shot a bolt of fire at them. It licked the back of the guy’s head, scratching Wu’s lovely coat. “Mako!” The Prince screamed, his eyes wide and static, full of fear. 

“I’ve got you!” Mako shouted, shooting another blast of fire. He was quickly gaining on the assailant who was bulky enough already and struggling to carry the fidgeting royal. 

“Go Mako!” Wu cheered, his smile surprisingly warm. Mako suppressed a groan of annoyance at the Prince’s lack of seriousness. Wu’s face suddenly dropped, his mouth hanging open in fear. “Mako, look out-”

Something smashed into Mako’s side, knocking him clean over. He scraped along the ground, his nails digging into the dirt as he tried to steady himself and force air into his lungs. A car sped past him, stopping next to the bulky man and hastily pulling both him and Wu inside. The door slid shut but Mako could still hear Wu yelling from inside, calling for help… and was that to see that Mako was okay? The firebender didn’t get his answer, a loud crack coming from inside the car. The yelling stopped and the car drove away.

It was at that point Mako went out of his mind. He radioed the palace and then went to the dingiest, dodgiest place in Ba Sing Se that he could find and grilled every last gangster he could find to get some sort of information out of them. It had been the same passionate anger that had surged through Mako when Korra had been kidnapped, burning through him like a raging fire. He barely rested until he’d found some information from a particularly weak willed and slimy mobster, and took off towards the warehouse that Wu was allegedly being held. 

His actual rescue mission was a bit of a blur. Lots of smoke and fire, shouting, Mako worked his way through criminal after criminal, burning and blasting and burning again. All he could remember was the anger - and the fear. He finally arrived at the room where Wu was being kept. He grinned wildly, squealing when he saw Mako, even though he had a rope shoved in his mouth. A surge of relief flooded through Mako and he quickly freed the Prince, chuckling as Wu flung his arms around Mako. Although the firebender had to deal with the embarrassment of carrying Wu out of the smoking warehouse bridal style he didn't care. His insides thrummed with a warm energy that tingled throughout his veins, giving Mako a small, smug smile.

At the time, Mako had barely compared the incident to when Korra got kidnapped. Sure, he went on a bit of a rampage both times, but that was only because Mako was at risk of losing his job, and not because he cared about Wu. Except it wasn't. Retrospectively it wasn't difficult to decipher that Mako's reaction had been so similar because he had been feeling the same feelings. And those same feelings were because he was in the same situation: someone Mako liked was in danger, and Mako hadn't realised how much he liked them up until that point.

Because Mako liked Wu, and probably had done for a while.

Up until that party Mako had assumed that 'liking' had been as a friend. But now, as he stared up at the bland ceiling of his temporary room, he wasn't so sure. Maybe, just maybe, he felt romantically for Wu. He was definitely attractive, that same bold confidence (sometimes bordering on arrogance) that had attracted him to both Korra and Asami. He definitely wasn’t bad on the eyes either, but that wasn’t what had been nagging at Mako. Wu made Mako happy, even when he was at his most annoying. It was like a beam of light shining on him whenever Wu was in the room, happy and joyus, like a loud, kind laugh. He was lovable, and---

Mako was whipped.

“Bro!” Suddenly Bolin was throwing himself on the bed, pulling Mako into an overwhelming hug. “Guess what!? Suyin is throwing a karaoke party!”

“Uhh. Great?” Mako sighed. He knew what was coming: Bolin was going to invite him to the party, Mako would say no, Bolin would guilt trip him into going, he would have a terrible time.

\--- 

This was exactly what happened. 

In Mako’s defense he had put up more of a fight than usual to avoid the event. He’d even told Korra that he wouldn’t be going when she asked, but it had only been a matter of time. Mako dragged his feet down the hallway towards the ballroom, his legs stiff and slow, as if they’d been filled with lead. Bolin slapped him on the back, a skip in his step. “Come on bro, look alive! No one knows you’re coming and we’re half an hour later - it’s like you’re the surprise guest of honour!”

“Great.” He muttered, pushing open the doors. 

Zaofu’s massive ballroom had been transformed yet again, this time into a classy bar. The small round tables that had been used for breakfast the previous two mornings were covered in a deeper red tablecloth and the lights had been dimmed, giving the place a cosier feel. A small stage had been put up against the tall main wall, a small band perched on the side of it. They were taking song requests at the moment, letting some of the partygoers sing along using a microphone placed in the center of the stage. Currently it was Varrick’s turn, his honey smooth salesman voice ringing out clearly as he sang some sort of ballad at a blushing Zhu Li. Mako’s cop brain instantly scanned the room for Wu, but the Prince was nowhere to be seen. This was unusual - Wu was never really one to miss a party. That being said, Mako was sort of glad he wasn’t there, he might end up making a scene and that was the last thing either of them needed.

Bolin pulled Mako over to the table where Korra and Asami were waving at them from. It looked like Asami had already bought the brothers drinks so they sat, idly chatting about their day. Varrick soon wrapped up his song, the entire hall erupting into rapturous applause. He bowed, leaping off the stage dramatically into his wife’s arms. Whilst Bolin and Korra’s backs were turned Mako leaned over to Asami and whispered. “Hey Asami, can I pick your brains later? In private.” He tried to hide the desperation in his voice.

“Sure.” Asami smiled, her eyes full of concern. “Are you alright Mako? Is this about-”

“Ladies and Gentleman, Varrick!” A voice boomed through the microphone. There was a second surge of applause and cheering and Mako looked towards the stage. Su stood atop it, microphone in her grip. She seemed to be presenting the night, going between the guests. She made a motion with her hands, and the whole room quietened down. “Next up we’ve got a very special guest performing one of his own songs!”

Oh no.

“... Prince Wu!”

Oh no.

Wu climbed up onto the stage, giving the band a cluttered pile of what looked like sheet music. The hall applauded, somewhat worried looks passed between them. Everyone had heard Wu sing, but not everyone had heard Wu sing any original songs. Pema specifically looked a bit terrified, having been subjected to the incessant badgermole music as she left republic city with Wu. “Hey everyone! Don’t worry, I’m not going to be up here super long. Just chatting a little whilst the band gets ready.” Wu looked sort of nervous, his eyes not leaving one spot at the back of the room. His voice had a bit of a happy front to it, but anyone who’d spent more than a few days with the singer would notice he was not his usual bubbly self, not completely. “This song is called Hot and Cold, and it is for everyone who’s ever loved someone indecisive!”

Oh. No.

The song kicked in, a twanging double bass and jazzy drum beginning a jaunty little melody, surprisingly upbeat. Mako stiffened up in his chair, his eyes glued on Wu. The lights washed him in a lovely golden colour, but Mako had rarely felt more blue. 

“You change your mind like a girl changes clothes  
Yeah, you change your mind, oh yeah, I would know  
And you over-think always speak cryptically  
I should know that you're no good for me

Cause you're hot then you're cold  
You're "Yes" then you're "No"  
You're in then you're out  
You're up then you're down

You're wrong when it's right  
It's black and it's white  
We fight, we break up  
We kiss, we make up

(You) You don't really wanna stay, no  
(You) But you don't really wanna go

You're hot then you're cold  
You're "Yes" then you're "No"  
You're in then you're out  
You're up then you're down”

Wu had warmed up to the music now, a grin breaking out on his face as he sang with passion, and a side of spite. Mako’s eyes were glued to Wu as he pranced around on stage, his attitude infecting the audience. Most people were bobbing their heads along to the music, smiling, pleasantly surprised. A few people had actually stood up and started to dance in the middle of the floor. Asami leaned in towards Mako and hissed in his ear. 

“What did you do?!”

“We used to be just like twins so in sync  
The same energy now's a dead battery  
Used to laugh 'bout nothing, now you're plain boring  
I should know that you're not gonna change

'Cause you're hot then you're cold  
You're "Yes" then you're "No"  
You're in then you're out  
You're up then you're down

You're wrong when it's right  
It's black and it's white  
We fight, we break up  
We kiss, we make up

(You) You don't really wanna stay, no  
(You) But you don't really wanna go

You're hot then you're cold  
You're "Yes" then you're "No"  
You're in then you're out  
You're up then you're down”

The song changed mood a bit, the tempo slowing down as Wu got to the bridge of the song. By this point a large group of people had gathered and were dancing in the centre of the floor. This included Bolin and Korra who were happily fistbumping. Mako sat glumly at his table, face burning.

“Someone call the doctor  
Got a case of a love bipolar  
Stuck on a roller coaster  
Can't get off this ride

You change your mind  
Like a girl changes clothes

'Cause you're hot then you're cold  
You're "Yes" then you're "No"  
You're in then you're out  
You're up then you're down  
You're wrong when it's right  
It's black and it's white  
We fight, we break up  
We kiss, we make up

You're hot then you're cold  
You're "Yes" then you're "No"  
You're in then you're out  
You're up then you're down

You're wrong when it's right  
It's black and it's white  
We fight, we break up  
We kiss, we make up

(You) You don't really wanna stay, no  
(You) But you don't really wanna go

You're hot then you're cold  
You're "Yes" then you're "No"  
You're in then you're out  
You're up then you're down, down”

The music wound down. It seemed like the whole room was cheering and applauding, and Mako couldn’t decide what was worse: the fact that Wu had written a song roasting him, or that the song was actually pretty good, and everyone liked it. It was insulting and humiliating, even if nobody knew that it was written about him. Wu himself was grinning, panting heavily like he’d just completed a run. That being said he looked relieved, like he’d just just shifted a heavy weight of his shoulder. Mako stared into that retriever smile, the warm bubbles coming back. Wu shifted his eyes around the room. It was understandable why he was so pleased. Wu had grown up being told by everyone that he was special, purely because he was born rich. But now Wu had worked and sang and got praise from people because of him, not because of his family. His smile continued… until he moved his eyes onto Mako. He stiffened, blushed, and ran off the stage. 

Mako felt his feet moving without his control. He followed Wu out of the room, sprinting across the carpet and into the hallway. “Wu! Wait!” Wu stopped and turned. He looked almost apologetic.

“Mako, I- I didn’t know you were going tonight. Korra said you weren’t.”

“Bolin dragged me here.” 

“Oh. Well- If you must know the song was about you.”

“I’d guessed.” Mako said flatly.

“My art is my passion, Mako. I only sing the truth, and the truth is you hurt me, repeatedly… You’re the worst!” Wu turned on his feet, storming away. This was the childish, arrogant Wu that Mako had grown to dislike throughout his years as his bodyguard, the immature tantrums bringing him right back. He could feel the aggravation building up in him at the outburst, but there was a stronger undercurrent of annoyance cursing Mako. 

It was towards himself.

From the next room over Su said something. Everyone cheered.


	5. Had a piece of humble pie, that ego check saved my life

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mako finally decides to get his act together, with a little help from Asami and the rest of his friends.

Mako could feel the silence. It pressed in on his skull like a helmet two sizes too small. At this point the noise from the party had faded away and Mako was now completely isolated, standing like a scarecrow in the middle of the hallway, still facing the direction Wu had left in. Tears were beginning to drop from his eyes and his hands were beginning to tremble as his utter loneliness smothered him. The truth of the matter was Mako had gone to Zaofu to escape, and he had ended up escaping from something that he didn't even know was chasing him: love.

Okay so maybe saying the L word was a bit soon, but it hadn't stopped Mako from chucking the term around throughout the first relationship he'd messed up, so what was stopping him now? Mako wasn't even sure if he loved Wu - all his thoughts were tumbling around his head, screeching and howling like wild animals now that the silence had lifted the gates off their cage and pushed them together. It was like his own brain was fighting itself, leaving Mako a broken wreck standing in the middle of a hallway whilst a party raged on next door, blinking out tears and staring forlornly at nothing.

Then a warm hand slid into his own and suddenly the sound was back. Mako sucked in a jittery breath and turned to look behind him. Asami was standing there, the epitome of concern. She didn't ask if he was alright. The answer to that was obviously, really. She just gripped his arm and gently tugged him down the corridor towards his bedroom. When they got there she pushed open the door and sat down next to him on the bed, the mattress squeaking quietly. She still hadn't let go of his hand. "Mako. What's up?"

Mako blinked. He didn't need to push away somebody else he cared about because of his idiot escapades. “You wouldn’t want to know.” Mako said glumly, his words hard to prise from his sore throat. 

“I’m not going to judge you Mako. Just tell me what’s wrong.”

Nothing

“Mako.” She said again, her tone stern. She’d been spending too much time with Lin, pulling an expression Mako had seen whenever he handed in his paperwork late. “Mako I can’t help you unless you tell me what happened. You’ve got to tell me everything, or… as much as you can.”

So Mako did. He told Asami about everything: sleeping with Wu, kicking him out, hitting him in the face with a ball, the apology, Wu’s confession, the second make out session, Mako running away, Mako realising he had some sort of feelings for Wu, and then finally the song. He spoke and he cried, Asami’s face growing more and more perturbed as the typically emotionless police officer broke down in front of her. She rubbed his back and nodded as he listened, letting the words spill out of her friend. For Mako it was sort of surreal to have his innermost thoughts and experiences verbalised in front of someone, but it also sort of felt good. 

"So then he walked away. Then you turned up." Mako finished, gazing at the floor. 

"So my first question is… how do you feel about Wu? You obviously care about him - I've never seen you get this upset, even when you were dating me or Korra."

"I care about him more than I can express. I think I might love him, but-"

"You never thought you would? Years of heteronormativity making you believe that you were strange for it?" 

"Yeah." Mako sighed. "Exactly."

"That's just how I felt with Korra. All those months she was away I couldn't tell whether I was feeling the way I did because I loved her, or because I missed her. You’ve got to remember that your feelings for him are just as valid as those for any other girl. Got it?” Mako nodded, squeezing Asami’s palm. “My next question, I guess, is what are you going to do about it?”

Mako paused for a few seconds, furrowing his brows. “I’ve got to make it up to Wu, show him that I’m sorry and that I was an idiot. I mean he already knows the second part, but it won’t hurt. And it needs to be public too. I can’t make another half assed private apology like last time. I need to show I mean it.”

The smile could be heard in Asami’s voice. “That’s great, Mako.” Her tone might have been a tad patronising, but to be honest he was sort of glad that someone was happy that Mako was recognising his mistakes. After the whole Mako/Korra/Asami drama back when the Water Tribe Civil War was happening it had taken harmonic convergence and a potential apocalypse for Mako to apologise and properly verbalise that he had made a mistake. “Have you got any ideas on how you’re going to do it?”

“I do, but it’s going to be humiliating.” 

“Mako, love is humiliating.” 

“I hate that you’re right.” 

The two chuckled, Mako finally bringing his eyes up to meet Asmai’s. He tackled her in a tight hug, squeezing a little too much. She spluttered. “Mako, I love the hug, but maybe release me like, a little.” He let go, but still kept hold of her hands. 

“Sorry.”

“Don’t worry about it. So what was your plan in the end?”

Mako leaned in and told her, frowning in places and shaking his head when the humiliating parts were revealed. When he pulled back Asmai looked slightly shocked, her mouth hanging open a little. She dismissed that look and slowly nodded. “I think that could definitely work. I just- I don’t think you could do that alone. Or with just me, either. We might need to get in some external help.”

“Oh.” He muttered, not really surprised. Mako’s plan hopefully would work, but he’d always known some help from others might be needed. “I’m going to be doing this in public anyway. I might as well mortify myself in front of some others first. And I want this to be the best it can be. I’d be foolish to reject help.”

“Well when you listen to the suggestions I’ve got you might change that sentiment.” Asami said. “I’ve got some ideas, but I don’t think you’re going to like many of them.”

\---

“So what are we actually doing here?” Kai reclined in his chair, tapping his foot against the wood boredly. Jinora, who was sitting next to him, elbowed her boyfriend in the side. “What? As much as I appreciated the cryptic note asking me to meet somewhere I kinda assumed it would be more exciting than watching Mako pace around.” Mako shot him a look. “Sorry bro.”

Mako whispered in Asami’s ear. “You’re right. I don’t like any of these choices.”

She pushed him in the back and he stumbled forward. Mako was currently standing on the little stage in the Zaofu dining room, surrounded by a circle of chairs. In each of the chairs was someone Mako knew, but their judgmental stares made Mako feel like he was being watched by a pack of complete strangers. His hands were clammy and he wiped them on the top of his trousers before waving shyly. “Uh, hi everyone. I’m Mako. You knew that. Uh-”

Asami strutted up to the spot where he stood and patted Mako on the shoulder. “Hi everyone! Thanks for coming today. I’ve gathered you all here because we’re going to do a favour for our good friend Mako. He needs to write a song for someone, and I believe that you are the most suited group of people to help him do this.”

The expressions of everyone in the group ranged from outrage, humour, surprise and excitement. Asami turned to everyone in the group, starting with Bolin, who had his hands clasped together and was nearly bouncing up and down in his chair. “Bolin: you’re Mako’s brother. You know him better than anyone.”

“If you didn’t invite me I would have caused a riot.”

She looked at Kai and Jinora next. “Kai, I have no doubt that you’ll help Mako improve his charm. Jinora, you’ve read enough romance novels to make this a magical experience for the person that he’s singing to.”

Jinora nodded smugly, and Kai smirked at the knowledge that he’d be the one teaching his surrogate older brother to charm. From next to Kai, Bumi spoke up. “So are we writing a love song then? Ooh, who’s the lucky girl.” 

“Not a girl.” Mako said flatly. “Might as well get that one out the way quickly.”

Yet again there was a range of expressions from the group. Bolin looked thrilled, Lin and Korra looked totally unsurprised, Kai and Jinora looked a little caught off guard but openly happy, and Bumi and Varrick were grinning. “No judgment from me, Kid. You should’ve seen some of the boys I spent my time with back in the great siege of Yetai Tong.”

“Me too!” Varrick said. “I don’t seem to care what gender I’m with. Usually they’re just more competent than me and we go from there.”

"That's, er, great to know." Asami muttered. Suddenly Zhu Li made more sense. "But yes, we're sort of writing a love song. More of an apology, really. And Bumi: you're the one with the best musical knowledge here. We need you to help us compose the music. Varrick, you're probably the best singer here (sorry Bolin)."

"None taken."

"So why am I here?" Lin huffed, folding her arms. 

"You're the only one who'll tell us if this is bullshit." Lin nodded at this. Asami wasn't wrong. 

"And me?" Korra wondered. "I can't sing, I can't play an instrument, and I'm definitely not the most romantic."

Mako took the lead on this one. "As team Avatar we've been together throughout so much. You're basically my family and I needed you here just as much as anyone else." 

The two stared at each other for a second, Korra's face trembling slightly with appreciation. Suddenly she and Bolin were up, wrapping Mako and Asami in a warm embrace. They froze, connected in their friendship until something barreled into them. It was Varrick, arms outstretched. Soon he was followed by Bumi, then Kai, then Jinora, and finally Lin. Her voice was tough but there was an emotional edge to it that she tried to conceal. "Thanks for thinking of us kid. We'll always have your back." Mako tried to blink away the tears threatening to spill. It was great he had a biological family, but his found one was just as special. 

"That being said," Lin grumbled, "can we get this over with?"

\---

For the most part, progress had been slow. To his credit his musical talent had not been exaggerated, but his lyrical prowess had been strange. There had been some good attempts to establish some lyrics but they never really felt right, always feeling a little artificial and insincere. It didn’t help that Mako hadn’t announced who he wanted the song written for, mainly because he was worried that someone was going to blurt out Wu’s name and then the jig would be up.

“I think I’ve got it!” Varrick erupted at one point, shooting out of his seat. 

“Thank spirits.” Bolin sighed. “I was not prepared to turn you upside down again.”

“Prepare to have your mind blown!” Varrick shouted, fist pumping. The tune he sang was upbeat and sickly, and he danced around, his thin body spinning around like a twig caught in the wind. “Yeah, is it too late now to say sorry? 'Cause I'm missin' more than just your body. Oh, is it too late now to say sorry? Yeah, I know that I let you down. Is it too late to say I'm sorry now?” 

Lin looked up from where she was sitting, went to say something, decided against it, and reclined backwards. “Why were you dancing?!”

“Sorry songs don’t have to be all solemn.” Varrick shrugged. “Personally I like my apologies with a side of pizzazz. Did you hear the lyrics as well? I made sure to emphasise that you’re not just doing it for the sex.”

“You could not humanly sound any less sincere,” Lin grumbled, “especially when you insist on doing whatever you were doing with… that.” She waved her hand reluctantly around the area where Varrick’s hips were, and mimed being sick.

Varrick looked like he was considering attacking Lin for her slander, his face slowly turning red. Luckily Korra jumped up from her chair and stuck her hands out between the two. “What I think Lin is trying to say is that whoever Mako is trying to sing to really needs to get how sorry Mako feels, and that will come across better in a different type of song.” She leaned into his ear and whispered louder than she probably meant to. “Also, between you and me, Mako is not a good enough dancer to pull that off.”

She didn’t mention that the lyrics felt both tacky and insincere and kind of gross, but everybody seemed to be thinking it anyway. 

“This isn’t working!” Mako said, his words coming out scraped and strangled as he smothered his face with his hands. “Why isn’t it working? Those nomads can make a whole song about a secret tunnel but we can’t write one lousy verse about apologies! That’s way more uncommon than Secret Tunnels!”

Kai looked as if he was about to say some gross joke about his ‘secret tunnel’ but stopped himself when he noticed how legitimately stressed Mako seemed. He stepped forwards and patted Mako on the back. “Look, this doesn’t have to be about fancy metaphors or pretentious lyrics. Literally just say how you feel, and we’ll set it to music.”

“He’s right.” Jinora smiled, grabbing Kai’s hand. They shared an infuriatingly cute grin. “I’ve spent a lot of time reading books where there are dashing characters who speak really eloquently. But dating Kai has made me realise that if you say the truth, no matter how simple it might be, it will mean just as much as any flowery language.”

“Okay,” Mako nodded. “Thank you, seriously. Thank you all.” He sat down on the edge of the stage and picked up the pen. For the first time that afternoon it didn’t feel alien in his grip, but instead an extension of himself as he wrote down the words travelling straight from his brain, flowing through his blood and onto the page. 

‘Can you forgive me again?’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If this were an unrequited love fic I 100% would have made Mako write Oops! I did it Again by Britney and made him dance awkwardly to it because not only would that be I C O N I C but probably also really scarring and humiliating for Wu so would fit in with the overall horribleness of an unrequited love fic. Luckily I don't hate myself enough to do that :)


	6. Oh love, I think I'm ready

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wu is conned into attending a small get together. He's surprised. Mako is nervous.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's happening! Unfortunately Mako is not singing a Katy Perry song, but he is singing Forgive Me by Evanescence which I feel like is much more in character.

"King Wu? It's Jinora." 

"Oh hi Jinora. Come in." 

Wu looked worse for wear. And that was likely an understatement. He was sprawled out along his bed, tissues littering the floor like tiny little land mines. They were either scrunched up tissues, year stained and damp, or yellow pages from a thick notebook, words scribbled over them in rushed black cursive. They were presumably song lyrics but Jinora could barely make out the words as she carefully stepped over them, grimacing. "You alright, Wu?"

"Yeah." He sniffled, wiping his nose with the back of his hand. He noticed Jinora looking disapprovingly at the smear of snot on his hand and quickly wiped it off on a very expensive handkerchief. Jinora winced a little as the fine silk got smeared, and suddenly she was back to remembering the Wu from those years ago, who was pitiable to even her 15 year old self. At least now he was trying to hide that he was upset, quietly nudging all of the paper pieces under the bed with his foot. His hair was unbrushed and frizzy, and his clothes from the night before were lying crumpled at the bottom of his bed, mixed in with the tissues and the writing. His under eyes were also dark and bagged, and had Jinora not had a special piece of Mako insight she might never have thought that would be the case. He was so happy and alive performing on the stage, but the Wu she saw now was sad. It was so sorry there was no use finding a fancy synonym like dejected or lamentable to describe both Wu’s physical and emotional state. Wu was just sad.

“I really liked your song.” 

“Thank you Jinora. I spent all day on it, actually. I'm glad you liked it."

Jinora glanced around at the tissues on the floor one final time. “Hey Wu, some of us are having a quiet get together tonight. Do you want to come?”

Wu’s eyes lit up and he began to nod, before his shoulders sank and he hung his head. “I’m sorry, I don’t know if it’s such a good idea. You don’t have to invite me because you feel bad.”

“Mako won’t be there.”

Wu perked up like a puppy dog. “Count me in! I’ll see you at…”

“Seven.”

“Seven! I’ll wear my nice shirt.”

Jinora smiled and headed out the room, quietly closing the door behind her and creeping along the carpet with feather light footsteps. She passed Bolin who lingered on a corner, playing with Pabu. He noticed her and raised his eyebrows. 

Jinora smirked. “He’s in.”

\---

“I can’t do this. I can’t do this. I’m going to die. I can’t do this.” 

“Mako, calm down. It’s going to be fine.”

“It’s not going to be fine! He’s going to hate me.”

Korra grabbed Mako’s wrist. “You’re going to be fine. Take this someone who once crushed on you as hard as Wu does: he’s going to be swept off his feet. You’re going to murder this.”

“I don’t want to murder anyone!”

“Oh my god.” Korra sighed, ripping her gaze away to the curtains on the stage. “Mako, it’s going to be fine. Bolin and I will be right there in the audience, and Asami will be on stage. Just pretend it’s a pro bending tournament. And you don’t even have to worry about Tahno tripping you up.”

“Looking back I think I had a bit of a crush on-”

“Mako! I know you’re deflecting.”

Mako adjusted the collar of his shirt. “You’re right.” 

“I always am, y’know. Because I’m the avatar.” The two giggled, Mako suddenly brought back to those Fire Ferret days where they spent most of their time worrying about how they were going to raise money for the next game, not how they were going to take down a dictator or how Mako was going to proclaim his love to a King. 

Bolin poked his head round the curtain. “The FoxHawk is in the nest. I repeat: the foxhawk is in the nest.” 

All of the colour drained from Mako’s face. His hands were suddenly sweaty and he couldn’t meet Bolin’s eyes. That didn’t matter, because both him and Korra embraced Mako as tightly as they could before sprinting away to get in position. He sucked in a breath, clenched his fists, and stood just behind the curtain. It was now or never. Do or die.

\---

“Hey guys!” Wu cheered, his voice happy but fragile. Mako could hear him bustling about and greeting everyone. “I bought wine!” He crooned, dropping something on the table. He paused for a second. “Is that okay? I didn’t really know what I was meant to bring to a ‘small get together.’” Wu’s voice was smaller and quieter. God, he was adorable. 

“Thanks, Wu.” Lin said, sounding like she’d grabbed the bottle and given herself an abnormally long pour. There was some shuffling.

“I think that’s enough.” Korra said, the sound of the bottle dropping against the table echoed. 

“So what are we doing? And why are Asami and Varrick and Bumi sitting at instruments? Have they formed a band? Can I join?”

“Sort of.” Bolin said. Suddenly a wave of nausea slapped into Mako. Lin had begun to draw the metal rings of the curtains back, letting a harsh wall of white lights bustle into his face. Mako squinted, gripping the microphone until his knuckles were white. His eyes instantly went to Wu, whose face was completely blank, his mouth hanging ajar a little. The benefits of being Wu’s bodyguard for years was knowing that in a potentially volatile situation Wu would neither fight nor fly. He just stood there, and so Mako was fairly confident that he wouldn't bolt the second Mako showed his guilty face.

The rest of Mako’s song squad was sitting there too. Kai, Jinora, Korra, Lin and Bolin were perched around the table, everyone, even Lin, was giving an encouraging smile. Mako flashed an awkward thumbs up at them and nodded, before turning to Wu. “Uh, hey. I’ll explain this more when I’m done, but, Wu… I hope you get the gist. This is for you.”  
Mako turned to Asami and nodded. She nodded back, determination on her face, and gestured to Varrick and Bumi. Asami, unsurprisingly, was sitting at the piano, the graceful woman sat at the delicate instrument. Varrick had a set of drums he was readying and a microphone for backing vocals, and Bumi had a guitar in his grip. Asami played the opening notes of the tune on the piano. It was sorrowful and minor and Wu’s face began to contort as he listened to the chords. Mako opened his mouth and began to sing. 

“Can you forgive me again?  
I know what I said  
But I didn't mean to hurt you

I heard the words come out  
I felt that I would die  
It hurt so much to hurt you.”

Mako’s voice was raspy and low, straining to reach some of the notes. Wu’s eyes were wide and trembling, half full of surprise and half full of something else. Mako couldn’t really decipher what it was, but he couldn’t rip his gaze off Wu’s face to decipher anyone else's.

“Then you look at me  
You're not shouting anymore  
You're silently broken

I'd give anything now  
To kill those words for you  
Each time I say something I regret I cry I don't want to lose you.  
Somehow I hope that you will never leave me, yeah

Cause you were made for me  
Somehow I'll make you see  
How happy you make me.”

At this moment Mako locked eyes with Wu. He hoped that his eyes were conveying the emotion that he needed to get across: sadness, regret, happiness, longing, appreciation, love. 

“I can't live this life  
Without you by my side  
I need you to survive  
So stay with me  
You look in my eyes  
And I'm screaming inside that I'm sorry.” 

Mako reached the climax of the song, tears beginning to well in his eyes as the music swelled around both men like a raging tsunami, trapping them in a vortex of thrashing emotion and unspoken words. Wu was breathing heavily, almost on the verge of tears, and although Mako mostly felt a reliving lightness at having his emotions out there he was glad most of his view was partially obscured by the stage lights, as if Mako got a god look at what Wu’s face seemed to be doing he was sure he’d break down crying, because Wu seemed almost stunned, his look focusing on Mako's face and absorbing and reacting to every single flicker of emotion. Mako still couldn’t read him. He was a cop for spirit’s sake! How Wu’s reaction was an enigma Mako didn’t know, and that unsettling creeping chill of thinking you’ve made the wrong decision edged into Mako’s thoughts. He burnt it away. He knew this was right.

He nearly spoke the last three lines of the song, his throat so tight that he couldn’t get out the notes.

“Please forgive me again  
You're my one true friend.”

A tear dribbled down Mako’s cheek. He felt the moisture against his pale skin and suddenly his voice was trapped in his throat, the last phrase coming out more of a whisper than a melody.

“And I never meant to hurt you.”

There was a painful second of silence.

\---

Clap. Applause broke through the sombre atmosphere, dispelling it and bringing Mako out of the trance he had been in, staring at Wu. He was snapped back to seeing Korra clapping hesitantly, joined soon after by Bolin, the Jinora, Kai and Lin. Lin scowled as she did so, wiping her arms across her eyes, face red and blotchy. 

Mako could dimly hear Varrick, Bumi and Asami applauding from behind him as well, but all his attention was focused on Wu who was staring, dumbfounded. The clapping died down and the room was enveloped in a palpable silence again. All the eyes that had been pointed at Mako were turned to Wu. He blushed, and then stuttered. “I- I can’t believe Jinora lied to me.”

Jinora’s face went red. Korra threw her hands up in anguish. “Mako just did all that for you! And your response is-”

“Kid’s in shock, Korra.” Lin said, putting a hand on her arm. “Let’s give them some space.”

Everybody filtered out. Mako felt his feet pulling him towards Wu, who was looking at the ground and quietly murmuring to himself. “I need to stop trusting people when they say Mako’s not coming. I-”

Mako pulled out a chair. The legs scraped against the floor uncomfortably loudly. Mako sat down and instantaneously realised he had no idea what he was about to say. He’d been so focused on fudging the song he hadn’t even thought what was happening next. He remembered Kai’s advice: ‘this doesn’t have to be about fancy metaphors or pretentious lyrics. Literally just say how you feel’.

“You once told me that you only sing the truth, and that’s good, because I do too. Everything I just said was the truth, and more. I’m sorry I was so horrible to you when I was your bodyguard, that was unfair of me. I’m sorry I let you get kidnapped both those times. I’m sorry I stopped talking to you, I’m sorry I kicked you out of bed when we slept together, I’m sorry I was so curt with you, I’m sorry that I didn’t know what I wanted and I’m sorry that I led you on again before breaking your heart. Oh- and I’m sorry for hitting you in the face with that volleyball.” Wu gingerly brushed his cheek. 

“Apology accepted.” Wu said. “I’m sorry too. I shouldn’t have been such an immature child, I shouldn’t have pushed you to figure out if you were into me, and I shouldn’t have gotten upset that you weren’t. I’ve always known who I am, both as Prince or King Wu and as a gay person. You were obviously confused.”

“I was, but that doesn’t give me any excuse for being a dick.” 

“Thank you.” Wu smiled weakly. His brow was furrowed and his breathing was getting heavy. His eyes were shiny and he looked on the edge of tears, but Wu didn’t look happy. Mako put his hand on Wu’s cheek. “Why do you look so sad?”

“Well obviously I forgive you, just as the song says. Don’t get too good though: you’ll put me out of the job."

"Wu. Why are you so sad?"

"It's dumb and you're going to think I'm stupid." He sighed. "I accept your apology, Mako. Obviously. Just kind of sucks that you definitely don't feel the same way about me." 

Mako felt like he'd been slapped in the face.

"What?! Why?!"

"Well I mean you literally called me your 'one true friend'. What is a poor prince supposed to think? I’m not stupid." 

Mako planted his face in his hand. "I meant one true friend as in the person I think I love. The one I want to spend my life with.”

“Oh, okay.” Wu said, nodding. “Wait.” His eyes widened. He inspected Mako, watching his face for any sign of dishonesty or a prank. He looked to the door, to the stage, and at Mako. “Oh…” He murmured. “Does that mean?”  
“Yes.” 

Mako put his hand on Wu’s. They interlaced their fingers. The prince’s face had broken out into his relieved smile and so had Mako’s, a rare grin from the angsty fire bender. “Can I kiss you?” Wu asked quietly, his voice shaking.

“Yes.” Mako answered, not an inch of hesitation in his tone. 

Wu leaned in, his shaking hand wrapped around the back of Mako’s neck. He gently pressed his lips to Mako’s, relaxing as he felt Mako smile into the kiss. It felt like the first time, years of crushing and emotional turmoil boiled down to one perfect moment, but without the alcohol fuzzing up his brain. If Wu had told his younger self about this week he would have not believed him in a million years. He barely believed it now, but in the space of five minutes he’d gone from being crushed to kissing the man of his dreams. He could deal with the aftereffects of the emotional whiplash later. 

Wu pulled back, grinning. He winked. Mako rolled his eyes and yanked his Prince back in for another kiss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> They're soft, your honour.


	7. I know you get me So I let my walls come down, down

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The morning after. Things are both said and not said. This is okay.

Bolin charged down the hallway, Pabu nipping at his heels as he ran. He was sweating and out of breath when he reached his brother’s door but he wasn’t deterred, rapping on the door hurriedly. Mako’s song squad, as they had affectionately called themselves much to Mako’s chagrin, was all sat round a table eating breakfast, waiting for an answer on what had happened the night before. They’d decided that Bolin was likely the best person to go and check as the one least likely to be burnt alive by Mako if it all went wrong. That would have been a certain amount of pressure by itself but it turns out that the song squad weren’t the only ones to hear about the plan: Su had wanted to know why the hall had been reserved, she’d asked Opal, Bolin had obviously mentioned it to Opal because why wouldn’t he, and from there it had somehow got out and spread around what felt like the entirety of Zaofu. Now everyone was sitting in the breakfast hall waiting with baited breath to hear whether Mako had got with the king. It was a strange concept and not one Bolin would have ever expected to happen, but at least he would be the one to spread his brother’s gossip (and advise everyone to never mention Wu’s name if things had indeed gone wrong).

He was choosing to be optimistic in his prediction. As someone who had particular insight on both Mako and the song he wrote he had full confidence in his brother and his wooing skills, more than Mako likely had himself. “Mako! You in here?!” Bolin hammered on the door again. Pabu scuttled up Bolin’s body and climbed onto his shoulder, craning to have a look. “Maakkoo. Mako. Mako answer the door. Mako. Mako are you-”

The door swung open. Both Bolin and Pabu’s eyes enlarged comically at the sight before them.  
Wu stood at the door, blinking tiredly. He looked utterly debauched, frizzy hair floating away from his head on wisps. He was only wearing a pair of what looked like hastily pulled on boxer shorts and his chest was marked and red, as was his neck. He looked dazed and slightly wistful, eyes settling on Pabu, who was staring at him. “Hey Pabu.” Wu smiled before turning to Bolin. “Bolin. How can I be of service?” His voice was low and thick, tired.

The younger brother blushed, catching sight of Mako who was sprawled face first on his bed, shirtless, and in just as questionable a shape as Wu. His lips were curled in a slim smile. Bolin covered his poor fire ferret's eyes with a hand. “Oh, uh, hi Wu. Didlastnightgowell?”

“Sorry? I only just woke up.” 

“Last night, with Mako. Did it go well?”

Wu glanced back at Mako, face glowing with pride. “Yeah. I think it did.” 

“Great!” Bolin smiled. As much as this was an awkward situation he was glad for his brother, really. "Well, uh. Good to see you, your highness. Have a nice day." He stepped back waving awkwardly until Wu shut the door. He turned on his heel and sped off down the hallway, down three flights of stairs and a maze of metal corridors. He pushed the large double doors of the dining hall open. He wheezed, doubling over and puffing in and out great big breaths. When he looked up the whole hall was staring, breath held, mouths hanging open and hands clasped in anticipation. 

Korra raised an eyebrow. "... So?!"

Wheezing, Bolin gave two thumbs up. 

The hall exploded in applause.

\---

Wu sat on the edge of the bed, watching as Mako's chest rose and fell as he snuffled into the mattress. The day before he'd seemed stressed and tired, and to be honest Wu hadn't gotten too much sleep himself for the last few days, so it wasn't surprising that Mako was sleeping like a baby. It was cute really, that innocent little smile, wiped clear of the years of struggle and trauma Mako had gone through just to get where he was today. His breathing was rhythmically dull, relaxed as he forgot all of the stress in his life and the grumpy persona and escaped into whatever dream he was having. Sometimes Mako’s eyes would flit around under his lids or he would sigh dreamily and utter something. The king thought it might have been his name. Wu curled a strand of hair around his finger, the gel having escaped from Mako’s head and let the blackthorns free.

There was a rapturous roar from downstairs. Wu flinched, glancing downwards. Mako stirred, peeling one eye open. He sounded exhausted and his voice slurred when he spoke. "What was that?" 

"I think… applause? I don't know."

"Who's applauding this early in the damn morning." Mako grumbled, pulling the duvet up over his chin. Wu had gently draped it over him having snatched it away whilst they were sleeping. 

Wu glanced at the window. The sun was streaming in harshly, stinging his eyes. "I think we're sleeping late and everyone is on time, darling." The pet name felt slightly alien on his tongue and he was worried that it was going to be a massive crash and burn, but unlike that unfortunate morning when Wu had called Mako beautiful Mako smiled sleepily, pulling Wu onto the bed fully and resting his head in his lap. It was nice to see him so vulnerable, and so openly happy. "I'm surprised Bolin's loud knocking didn't wake you up." 

"Bolin's knocking?" 

Wu ran his hand through Mako's hair properly. It was quickly becoming one of his favourite hobbies. "Yeah, he and Pabu came to the door. I think he wanted to check on you." 

Mako nodded. "He's a good kid."

"He is."

In all honesty, Mako wasn't sure why he was being quite so candid and around Wu. Something about baring his soul to Wu and singing to him had completely decimated his walls. And sue him, he was happy. The grumpiness could wait. He pushed himself up on his hands and placed a kiss on Wu's soft cheek. "Thank you for forgiving me."

"I would be an idiot not to. I mean I'm an idiot anyway."

"You are, but thankfully not in this situation. And you’re no more of an idiot than me. Well we'll be idiots together." Mako squeezed Wu's hand. The scars ran up the side of it, following his arm all the way up to the centre of his chest. Wu brushed a few fingers over it, tracing them to where his heart was. Mako tracked his fingers with his look.

Wu smirked. "I could say something really cheesy right now." 

"Don't you dare." 

There was a small pause and then both men laughed, Wu leaning his head onto Mako's shoulder. He fidgeted. “Yes Mako, but look. It goes up to your heart and I-”

He was caught off guard by Mako pulling his head back and shutting him up with a firm kiss that left him reeling and unfocused.

“C’mon, that’s not fai-”

Mako kissed him again, that signature cocky smirk dancing in his lips. “When have you ever done anything fair?”

“I might have to start, seeing as I’m dating a cop.” 

A bolt of silence hit the two. 

Dating.That was a word. A big word that meant a lot. Wu chuckled awkwardly, trying to divert the tension. “I do actually think I’m quite fair. I pay my taxes and charge my people a very reasonable amount, especially in comparison to my great Aunt and that wicked Raiko-” Once again Mako pulled Wu into another kiss, this one soft and sweet. “You’ve got to stop doing that.”

“Well I’ve got to stop you from talking about taxes somehow. It’s such a boring subject and I’m not hearing about it, even if I am dating a king.”

Wu tried to stop the emotion from building in his eyes and was the one to kiss Mako this time, holding him in an embrace afterwards and pulling down Mako’s forehead to rest it on his own. He wanted to say so much: how he’d been enamoured with Mako for years, how he felt like he was going to burst with joy or rays of sunshine were going to come beaming from under his skin, how beautiful Mako looked, half conked out and peaceful, how much literally everything Mako had done meant to him.

There were things Mako wanted to say too: like how this was the happiest he’d been in a long while, how thankful he was to Wu for exposing this part of his life and dragging him on some nutty adventures, for giving him something to smile and take himself less seriously about.

None of these things were said. The words grew between them through little gestures, flickers of the eyes, kisses, warm touches, a jokey eye roll, intertwined hands. An utterance of “I love you” under the breath, followed by a whispered “I love you too” and the steady roll of a happy tear down a cheek. 

The meanings grew between them like a vine, rising up Mako’s arms and scar and passing over his heart before connecting to Wu, the green in his eyes twinkling in the mid morning sun. 

It was okay that none of these things were being said in full, Mako decided, because for once he knew what he wanted and he was sticking with it. He was no longer hot nor cold nor sorry, he was content. He would have more than enough time to find a way to verbalise everything he was feeling.

Maybe he would even write another damn song.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The end.
> 
> I thought this was a bit cheesy or cringe to write in places and then I remembered someone willingly wrote 'kissing the corona virus' and my shame went away.
> 
> Honestly I'm a bit upset I've reached the end of this fic. Yeah the last chapter was a bit short but I'd always imagined it as a sort of epilogue and just dragging it out might have been a bit forced and disingenuous. That being said I'm likely not finished writing about these idiots, I have ideas and unfortunately a lack of better judgment and access to a laptop at 12am so they will probably end up being posted.
> 
> All jokes aside I'm kind of sad to be finishing my first multi chapter fic and I just wanted to say thanks to everyone who has read, kudosed (is that a word?) and commented because it really means a lot and sends a bolt of serotonin directly into my disaster bi brain. Honestly little else was funnier than seeing everyone dunk on Mako being a bit of an idiot in the first few chapters. Anyway, thank you thank you thank you!
> 
> (Also thank you to Katy Perry for giving me semi pretentious chapter titles.)


End file.
